ES2946144T3 - Cellular antenna for elevated and obstructed deployment - Google Patents

Abstract

In one example, the present disclosure provides a phased array antenna system with a first array of antenna elements and a first radio frequency beamforming array configured to divide the power of a radio frequency signal for transmission into a first plurality. of component signals comprising drive signals for the first set of antenna elements, the first radio frequency beamforming array further configured to combine a radio frequency signal for reception by the phased array antenna system of a second plurality of component signals of the first set of antenna elements, wherein a radio frequency power distribution of the first radio frequency beamforming network is arranged to provide a weighting of the first plurality and the second plurality of component signals processed through antenna elements toward one end of the first array. (Automatic translation with Google Translate, without legal value)

Description

DESCRIPTION

Cellular antenna for elevated and obstructed deployment

Cross reference to related requests

This application claims priority to United States Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62/572,149, filed October 13, 2017.

Disclosure field

The present disclosure relates generally to cellular base station antennas and relates more particularly to antenna systems with improved performance in elevated and obstructed locations, such as, for example, on the roofs of multi-story buildings.

Background

Base station antennas designed for deployment in the macrocellular network are typically deployed close to the demand for mobile network traffic (subscribers) on towers, poles, and rooftops at heights that are significantly above the surrounding mean height of other rooftops. . This macrocellular deployment minimizes diffraction propagation losses between the base station and subscriber terminals, therefore maximizing coverage range and/or in-building penetration. US2017/0118760A1 proposes a hybrid band smart backhaul radio. Document EP1609208A1 proposes a phased array antenna system.

Summary

In one example, the present disclosure provides a phased array antenna system as set forth in independent claim 1.

In another example, the present disclosure provides a method as set forth in independent claim 9.

Brief description of the drawings

The teachings of the present disclosure can be readily understood by considering the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 depicts illustrative base station antenna deployment configurations in buildings;

Figure 2 depicts a conventional base station antenna amplitude and phase distribution, and a resulting far-field radiation pattern in the elevation plane;

Figure 3 depicts an optimized rooftop base station antenna amplitude and phase distribution, and a resulting far-field radiation pattern in the elevation plane;

Figure 4 depicts a conventional base station antenna deployed on a roof and set back from the edge of the roof;

Figure 5 depicts an optimized base station antenna deployed on the roof and set back from the edge of the roof;

Figure 6 illustrates the ground received signal power for a conventional antenna with and without roof edge diffraction loss, and for an optimized rooftop antenna with roof edge diffraction loss;

Figure 7 illustrates the ground received signal power for a conventional antenna with and without aggressive roof edge diffraction losses, and for an optimized rooftop antenna with aggressive roof edge diffraction losses;

Figure 8 illustrates received signal strength for a base station antenna with no edge diffraction and for a base station antenna deployed on a 30 m roof and set back from the edge of the roof by 6 m; and

Figure 9 depicts an illustrative antenna system with a feed network, in accordance with the present disclosure.

For ease of understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures.

Detailed description

The current disclosure presents a solution for optimizing (i.e., minimizing) propagation losses between a rooftop deployed macrocellular network base station antenna and terrestrial subscriber terminals, when the antenna is deployed recessed from the edges of the roof. In one example, a beamforming network, or distribution feeder network, is used with a modified amplitude distribution such that a substantial proportion of the RF power is assigned to the upper antenna elements. This skewed RF power distribution along the antenna array increases the effective height of RF power above the roof, thereby reducing the angle of incidence from each antenna element to the edge of the roof and thus , reduces diffraction losses on the edge of the roof. For illustrative rooftop deployments, up to a 3 dB reduction in propagation loss can be achieved for mobile terminals on the ground compared to a base station antenna using a more conventional RF power distribution profile through the array. The present disclosure also illustrates that appropriate phase weights can be used with such "heavily overloaded" weighted amplitude distributions to develop an elevation plane beam pattern in the far field of the antenna suitable for cellular network deployment, such as such as having robust upper side lobe level (USLS) suppression. The present disclosure is not limited to passive beamforming networks and includes examples using an active antenna arrangement where precoding weights can be applied to user-facing data so that specific beamforming can be achieved. to optimize path loss in the elevation plane for individual subscriber terminals.

Base station antennas designed for deployment in the macrocellular network are typically deployed close to the demand for mobile network traffic (subscribers) on towers, poles, and rooftops at heights that are significantly above the surrounding mean height of other rooftops. . This macrocellular deployment minimizes diffraction propagation losses between the base station and subscriber terminals, therefore maximizing coverage range and/or in-building penetration. For rooftop antenna deployments, antennas can be deployed in a variety of ways, such as: antennas mounted on the sides of the building, antennas mounted on top of a building, typically by taking advantage of an elevator shaft or other maintenance structure, antennas mounted on the roof itself, and antennas mounted recessed from the edge of the roof. These different configurations are illustrated in Figure 1 as examples 110, 120 and 130, respectively. Antennas mounted on the sides of buildings (eg example 110) may be optimal for maximizing coverage as the radiation pattern of the antenna is unobstructed. However, this option requires antenna deployments on three sides of the building, corresponding to the three sectors of a typical cellular base station site. Most buildings have four sides, and generally all three sectors need to provide 120 degree azimuth coverage. This means that all antennas cannot be mounted flush to the sides of the building and brackets need to be added. This is sometimes a concern for zoning/planning permission, particularly in urban and suburban areas.

Antennas deployed at the highest part of the building (for example, example 120) may also be optimal to maximize coverage, depending on the size of the roof, since the maximum height is reached. Additionally, this option allows for co-location of all three sectors, which facilitates easier deployment, but can present an unsightly deployment solution. Recessed roof edge antennas (eg example 130) help hide the appearance of the antennas, especially from the streets below. This deployment option is well known in many cities and is often the only rooftop deployment option allowed by city planning guidelines. A disadvantage of recessed roof deployments is that there is a physical obstruction between the antenna and the subscriber terminals, due to the edge or parapet of the roof. This obstruction can introduce significant diffraction propagation losses. Minimizing these diffraction losses would allow for improved signal strength throughout the service area and therefore higher building penetration and overall better service quality and experience.

The current disclosure includes examples for optimizing (ie, minimizing) propagation losses between a rooftop deployed macrocellular network base station antenna and terrestrial subscriber terminals, when the antenna is deployed set back from the edges of the roof. In one example, a beamforming network, or distribution feeder network, is used with a modified amplitude distribution such that a substantial proportion of the RF power is assigned to the upper antenna elements. This skewed RF power distribution along the antenna array increases the effective height of RF power above the roof, thereby reducing the angle of incidence from each antenna element to the edge of the roof and thus , reduces diffraction losses on the edge of the roof. The present disclosure also illustrates that appropriate phase weights can be used with such "heavily overloaded" weighted amplitude distributions to develop an elevation plane beam pattern in the far field of the antenna suitable for cellular network deployment, such as such as having robust upper side lobe level (USLS) suppression.

A base station antenna designed for mobile broadband communication networks typically includes one or more arrays, each array comprising a plurality of radiating antenna elements, and the arrays may support one or multiple spectrum bands. The antenna elements of each array are connected to an RF beamforming network, distribution network, or RF feed network, which is designed to distribute RF power to the elements of the array, when considered as a signal for its transmission through the antenna array. The antenna elements of the array are typically arranged in a vertical plane and are designed to create a relatively narrow radiation beam pattern in the elevation plane (10 degrees, for example). It should be noted that the vertical plane and the elevation plane can refer to the same plane, the former term being more commonly used to refer to a physical orientation of a set of antennae, and the latter most commonly used to refer to radiation patterns. Phase shifters are also commonly used between the RF power network and antenna elements. Phase shifters are used to impart a linearly varying phase slope across the antenna array and thereby vary the pointing direction of the radiated pattern in the elevation plane. This is known as Variable Electrical Tilt (VET) to control and optimize cellular network coverage and interference parameters.

Antenna arrays designed for mobile broadband communication networks may have an RF feed network that distributes RF power with a certain amplitude and phase profile to the antenna elements. The amplitude and phase profile is normally designed to create an optimized radiation pattern in the elevation plane. An optimized elevation pattern for base station antennas deployed in the macrocellular network could have certain characteristics such as: narrow beamwidth in elevation to maximize directivity and gain, strong upper side lobe suppression (USLS) to help minimize the inter-site interference, fast upper main beam rolloff to help minimize inter-site interference, and lower side-lobe null fill to help optimize coverage near the base station site.

An industry specification for USLS is >18 dB for the upper sidelobes below -30 degrees, which means that the upper sidelobes are >18 dB lower in magnitude than the main beam. In one example, the present disclosure provides for suppression of the upper side lobe of a far-field radiation pattern of 15 dB or greater relative to a main beam of the far-field radiation pattern through a range of up to 30 degrees per second. above the main beam. An illustrative amplitude distribution that helps ensure minimal sidelobes is illustrated in graph 290 of Figure 2. As illustrated in Figure 2, a base station antenna (100) comprises an array of seven cross-polarized antenna elements (110-116). The antenna elements (110-116) are connected to a distribution network, which may be internal to the antenna (not shown), with a symmetrically tapered amplitude profile (120-126) around the central element. Figure 2 shows a flat phase profile (130) across the array resulting in a far-field radiation pattern (140) in the elevation plane illustrated in graph 295 (relating elevation angle with the relative gain), with a good USLS and a directing main beam. There are other implementations that achieve good USLS. One method, though not shown, has equal amplitude across all elements, but uses a specific phase profile that varies across the array. This approach has been called "phase decay" since large phase changes are used from one element to another. Such base station antennas are designed for deployments on towers, the sides of buildings, and on top of buildings where there is little or no obstruction near or in the near field of the antenna.

In one example, the present disclosure includes a base station antenna with an array of antenna elements having an amplitude distribution with significantly higher amplitude weights assigned to the antenna elements at the upper end of the array; a "very overloaded" amplitude distribution. Furthermore, practical base station antenna radiation patterns in the elevation plane can be designed with such "heavily overloaded" amplitude distributions. An example is illustrated in Figure 3. A base station antenna (200) comprises an array of seven cross-polarized antenna elements (210-216). The antenna elements are connected to a distribution network, which may be internal to the antenna (not shown), with a "heavily overloaded" amplitude profile, or an amplitude distribution (220-226) and phase profile ( 230) through the array illustrated in graph 390. This amplitude and phase profile results in a far-field radiation pattern (240) in the elevation plane illustrated in graph 395 (relating elevation angle to elevation). relative gain). The radiation pattern for the tapered center-weighted distribution is shown in (140), for reference. The example of "heavily overloaded" amplitude distribution (220-226) and phase weight distribution (230) creates a far-field radiation pattern (240) in the elevation plane that has good USLS (for example, better than 18 dB), a directional main beam, and a very similar upper main beam falloff radiation pattern compared to the set (100) of Figure 2 with a center-weighted tapered amplitude distribution. In one example, the phase profile 230 may be selected according to a self-optimizing algorithm based on a desired far-field radiation pattern (eg, including upper side lobe) as input. However, it can be seen that the "heavily overloaded" amplitude distribution tends to lose some directivity relative to the center-weighted tapered amplitude distribution; in this example, approximately 0.5 dB of directivity loss.

However, the current disclosure is intended for base station antennas that have some obstructions between the antenna and subscriber terminals, where the obstructions are close to the base station antenna, for example, such as those antennas deployed on rooftops. and recessed from the edge of the roof. In these deployment cases, the lower directivity is not a particular concern, as the far-field radiation pattern, especially at angles below the horizon, will be significantly disturbed by the edge of the roof that is in or near the field. close to the antenna array. In fact, the examples in the present disclosure are designed to provide improved effective gain, and therefore improved cellular service coverage, at angles below the horizon.

The power radiated by an array of antennas is not radiated from a single point, but is radiated from several points: that is, the antenna elements. The resulting signal power received at a subscriber terminal will be in the far field of the antenna, and is the vector sum of the individual component signals of each antenna element, plus the vector sum of any multipath reflections introduced into the radio channel. In the scenario where the antenna array is on a roof and set back from the edge of the roof, the edge of the roof introduces diffraction losses between the antenna and the subscriber terminal. The antenna elements closest to the roof and at the bottom of the array have the highest diffraction loss to the subscriber, while the antenna elements closest to the top of the antenna array have the lowest diffraction loss.

Figure 4 illustrates an illustrative deployment scenario 400 using a conventional base station antenna (100) (eg, an antenna array) deployed on a building roof (10) and set back from the edge of the roof for a distance of x. The base station antenna (100) has a center-weighted tapered amplitude distribution across the antenna array, indicated by amplitude weights (120-126). Assuming that there are no or very weak multipath reflections introduced by the radio channel, the received power at the subscriber terminal 300 is a function of the vector sum of the component signals radiated from the signal elements. antenna indicated by the propagation paths (150-156), respectively. The propagation path lines (150-156) have different thicknesses corresponding to the relative power of the component signals of each of the antenna elements.

Figure 5 illustrates an illustrative deployment scenario 500 using an optimized base station antenna (200) (eg, antenna array) in accordance with the present disclosure deployed on the roof of a building (10) and set back from the building. edge of the roof by a distance of x. The base station antenna (200) has a "heavily overloaded" amplitude distribution across the antenna array, indicated by the amplitude weights (220-226). Assuming there are no or very weak multipath reflections introduced by the radio channel, the received power at the subscriber terminal 300 is the vector sum of the component signals radiated from the antenna elements, indicated by the propagation paths (250-256), respectively. In this example, the top elements have the strongest power and experience the lowest diffraction losses. The propagation path lines (250-256) have different thicknesses corresponding to the relative power of the component signals of each of the antenna elements. This arrangement optimizes the total power arriving at the subscriber terminal while still maintaining desirable lift pattern properties for cellular deployment. Of course, having the full power of rF assigned to the top element and no power to the other elements would result in the maximum power at the subscriber terminal, but this may not create a desirable elevation radiation pattern with adequate USLS characteristics. and main beam drop, which may be desirable to manage inter-site interference for cellular networks. It is worth noting that the influence of diffraction from the edge of the roof on the antenna elevation patterns at angles roughly around and above the horizon will be much less, because the angles between neighboring cells and the base station antenna ( 200) will be shallow and therefore less diffractive over the edge of the roof. As such, the upper sidelobes and main beam rolloff will be less affected.

The present disclosure uses a "heavily overloaded" array amplitude distribution for array deployments where there is or is expected to be at least one diffraction edge between the array and the subscriber terminal. The "heavily overloaded" amplitude distribution is intended to maximize received power at the subscriber terminal, while maintaining an elevation plane radiation pattern that is desirable for cellular network deployment, in particular, main beam drop. top and USLS. The present disclosure is also intended to achieve more power at the subscriber terminal than the received power at the subscriber terminal when more common amplitude distributions are used with a conventional antenna array.

Figure 6 shows a graph 600 with simulated results for received signal power on the ground in dBm and therefore what a subscriber terminal could receive as a function of distance from the base station antenna for three cases: (1) conventional base station antenna array with a center-weighted tapered amplitude distribution deployed on a roof edge with no diffraction loss, (2) conventional base station antenna array with a center-weighted tapered amplitude distribution deployed on a grate but set back from the edge of the roof by 6 m and therefore suffers from edge diffraction loss, and (3) rooftop optimized base station antenna array with a "heavily overloaded" amplitude distribution deployed on a roof but set back from the edge of the roof by 6 m and therefore suffering edge diffraction losses.

In the example in Figure 6, the simulated antennas are 30 m high and comprise 7 antenna elements across a length of 2.4 m with a 5° elevation beam tilt at 750 MHz. The graph shows that the signal on the ground is improved using the rooftop optimized base station antenna array over a conventional antenna array for all relevant distances, with observed improvements in signal strength of up to 3 dB. While all diffraction losses can never be recovered, a 1-3 dB improvement in signal strength is a significant improvement for network performance and user experience in terms of service coverage, data throughput of bandwidth and battery life, as uplink and downlink channels benefit from reduced diffraction losses. In one example, to achieve a 3 dB gain without the present disclosure, an antenna twice the length of the array would have to be used.

Figure 7 shows a graph 700 with additional simulated results for received signal power at the ground in dBm and therefore what a subscriber terminal could receive as a function of distance from the base station antenna for the same three cases above, but with a more severe diffraction edge. In Figure 7, the antennas for the second two examples are deployed on the roof and set back 6m as in the example in Figure 6, but there is also a 1m parapet. The parapet presents a greater diffraction loss. Figure 7 shows that the signal on the ground is improved using the optimized rooftop array over a conventional array for all relevant distances with consistent signal strength improvements of approximately 4 dB observed.

Figure 8 shows the variation in signal strength in the elevation plane as a function of vertical height and horizontal distance from the base station antenna, for a base station antenna height of 30 m as (a) unobstructed (pattern 800), and (b) when deployed on a roof and set back 6m from the edge of the roof (pattern 810). The simulated base station antenna comprises 7 antenna elements across a length of 2.4 m with a 5 degree elevation beam tilt at 750 MHz. Figure 8 illustrates that there is significant signal attenuation when propagating over the edge of the roof and attempting to serve the ground subscriber terminals. In this case, there is an attenuation of approximately 10 dB in the signal strength in the ground between the two cases, and this is related to what is observed in Figure 6. However, Figure 8 also reveals that the signal power it attenuates for angles to and above the horizon. This attenuation may be useful in terms of helping to further decrease inter-site interference or, alternatively, allowing a relaxation of the upper side lobe suppression (USLS) specifications of the antenna design, as the upper side lobes are they will reduce even more if they are installed on a roof, set back from the edge of the roof. This additional design freedom can provide more optimal amplitude and phase weight distributions to maximize signal strength into the ground.

Base station antennas deployed on rooftops and set back from the edge of the roof are often prone to passive intermodulation (PIM) interference which is caused by external PIM sources being radiated onto the roof by the antenna(s). Such external PIM sources include cables, metal conduit, metal vents, grills, screws, bolts, and other fasteners. Any of these items that may have loose metal junctions, particularly with dissimilar metals or with oxidation, can be a significant source of external PIM interference. An additional benefit of the present disclosure is to help reduce PIM interference generated by external PIM sources on the roof, since the antenna elements of the present disclosure that radiate the strongest RF signal components are those elements at and near the top of the antenna array. As such, these higher power radiation sources are further removed from potential PIM sources than is the case with a conventional antenna with a center-weighted tapered amplitude RF power distribution along the antenna array.

Antenna systems suitable for deployment in cellular mobile communications networks may include multiple arrays on the same radome and share the same rear panel/reflector. Additional arrays can be used to allow polarization diversity to be taken advantage of, higher order multiple input multiple output (MIMO) spatial processing (eg, multiple order MIMO, such as 4x4, 6x6, 8x8, etc.) and to support additional spectrum bands. These additional arrays may use the same RF beamforming network or one or more different RF beamforming networks.

Examples of the present disclosure may include antenna arrays that use passive reciprocal distribution networks (eg, the same distribution network components for uplink and downlink), or may include active antenna arrays where the weights of amplitude and phase are generated prior to RF power amplification, whether in low power RF, intermediate frequency (IF), baseband, or user-specific baseband. In the latter case, it is then possible to precode the information intended for a specific user through the antenna array leading to user-specific beamforming to minimize path loss in the elevation plane for individual subscriber terminals. .

Figure 9 depicts an illustrative antenna system (200) implementing a passive beamforming feed network in accordance with the present disclosure. An RF signal port (201) intended for connection from a radio base station for transmission and/or reception by the antenna system (200) is connected to a power supply network comprising Rf splitters (202, 203 , 204, 205, 206). The power network is connected to 7 co-polarized antenna elements (210-216). Optional variable phase shifters (270-276) can be used between the feed network and the antenna elements (210-216) to vary the tilt of the radiated elevation pattern. Therefore, the power network divides the power of an RF signal intended for transmission at the port (201) into a plurality of component signals to be used as drive signals for the array of antenna elements (210- 216). The arrangement of the RF splitters and the particular RF power split ratios are shown in Figure 9. In this example, it can be seen that 73% of the total RF power of a signal applied at the port (201 ) is assigned to the top three antenna elements. The resulting amplitude profile in terms of voltage magnitude is illustrated in graph 900 with amplitudes (220-226) corresponding to the antenna elements (210-216). The phase lengths from the signal input port (201) to the antenna elements (210-216) can be adjusted using either cable lengths or circuit board trace lengths, depending on how the power network is physically implemented. . The predicted phase weights for the antenna elements are represented as the phase profile (230). As such, the amplitude weights and the phase of the RF beamforming array are arranged to develop a steered beam and suppressed sidelobes through a range of angles in a far field of the antenna system (200) and thus to provide a pattern of beam of the steering beam which is suitable for cellular mobile communication networks.

Different splitter arrangements, split ratios, and splitters with a different number of branches than shown in Figure 9 can achieve the same or similar amplitude profiles. Therefore, the present disclosure can use other feed networks that have significant power allocated to the uppermost antenna elements but can still create a far-field radiation pattern, for example, with USLS of 15 dB or better.

Furthermore, it should be noted that, with respect to uplink communications, the distribution network is also configured to combine an RF signal provided to be received by the antenna array from a plurality of component signals. In accordance with the invention, 73% of the total RF power of a signal applied at port (201) is allocated to 50% or less of the antenna elements towards one end (the top) of the array (for example , the antenna elements (210, 211).In another example, 80% of the total RF power of a signal applied at the port (201) is allocated to 50% or less of the antenna elements towards one end ( eg top) of the array In one example, the antenna system 200 is provided to be deployed on the roof of a building and to be deployed substantially away from the edges of the building roof (eg set back 3m or longer (eg 6 m, 10 m, etc.), so that the appearance of the phased array antenna system is minimized when viewed from ground level.

While the foregoing describes various examples in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure, another example or examples and additional example or examples may be devised in accordance with the one or more aspects of the present disclosure without departing from the scope thereof, which is determined by the claim(s) and equivalents thereof below.

Claims (11)

1. A phased array antenna system (200), comprising: at least a first set of antenna elements (210-216), wherein the at least first set comprises a substantially linear array arranged in a vertical plane for beamforming in an elevation plane; and at least one first radio frequency beamforming network (202, 203, 204, 205, 206) configured to split the power of a radio frequency signal for transmission into a first plurality of component signals, the first plurality of signals comprising of component drive signals for the at least the first array of antenna elements, the at least the first radio frequency beamforming array further configured to combine a radio frequency signal for reception by the phased array antenna system of a second plurality of component signals from the at least the first set of antenna elements, wherein the amplitude weights of a radio frequency power distribution (220-226) of the at least the first radio frequency beamforming network are arranged to provide an allocation of at least 73% of a total radio frequency power (220-222) to less than 50% of the antenna elements (210-212) of the at least the first set towards an upper end of the at least the first set for the first plurality of component signals transmitted through the antenna elements of the at least the first set and for the second plurality of component signals received through the antenna elements of the at least the first set, where the at least the first set is for deployment on the roof of a building, and where the amplitude weights are to minimize diffraction propagation losses introduced by an edge of the building roof. The phased array antenna system of claim 1, wherein the amplitude weights (220-226) and phase weights (230) of the at least one first radio frequency beamforming array are arranged to develop a steered beam and suppressed sidelobes (140) over a range of angles in a far field of the phased array antenna system, wherein a beam pattern of the steered beam is suitable for cellular mobile communication networks. The phased array antenna system of claim 1, wherein the amplitude weights are arranged to provide allocation of at least 80% of the total RF power (220-222) to less than 50% of the antenna elements (210-212) towards the upper end of the at least the first set. The phased array antenna system of claim 1, wherein the at least one first array is to be deployed away from the edges of the building roof such that the appearance of the at least one first array is minimized when viewed from the Ground level. The phased array antenna system of claim 1, wherein the radio frequency power distribution (220-226) provides upper sidelobes of a far-field radiation pattern of the at least the first array that are suppressed in 15 dB or more relative to a main beam of the far-field radiation pattern in a range up to 30 degrees above the main beam (140). The phased array antenna system of claim 1, wherein the antenna system comprises a plurality of antenna arrays, the plurality of antenna arrays including the at least the first array, and a plurality of array arrays. radio frequency beamforming networks, including the plurality of radio frequency beamforming networks, the at least the first radio frequency beamforming network, the plurality of antenna arrays, and the plurality of radio frequency beamforming networks designed to support at least one of: radio frequency diversity schemes; multiple spectrum bands; either multi-input, multi-output multi-order applications. The phased array antenna system of claim 1, wherein at least the first radio frequency beamforming network (202, 203, 204, 205, 206) is a passive reciprocal beamforming network. 8. The phased array antenna system of claim 1, wherein the at least first array (210-216) is an active antenna array, and wherein at least the first RF beamforming network is implemented in baseband using configured precoding vectors to be applied to user oriented data to develop the user specific beamforming of the antenna system. 9. A method, comprising: deploying at least a first set of antenna elements (210-216) of a radio frequency antenna system (200) on the roof of a building, where at least the first set comprises a substantially linear array arranged in a vertical plane for beam formation in an elevation plane, in wherein the at least one first set of antenna elements is coupled to at least one first radio frequency beamforming array (202, 203, 204, 205, 206) of the radio frequency antenna system, wherein the at least one first radio frequency beamforming network is configured to divide the power of a radio frequency signal (201) for transmission into a first plurality of component signals, the first plurality of component signals comprising drive signals for at least the first set of antenna elements, the at least the first radio frequency beamforming array further configured to combine a radio frequency signal for reception by the phased array antenna system of a second plurality of component signals of the at least the first array of antenna elements, where the amplitude weights of a radio frequency power distribution (220-226) of at least the first radio frequency beamforming network are arranged to provide an allocation of at least 73% of a power of total radio frequency (220-222) to less than 50% of the antenna elements (210-212) of the at least the first set toward an upper end of the at least the first set for the first plurality of component signals transmitted through the antenna elements of the at least the first set and for the second plurality of component signals received via the antenna elements of the at least the first set, wherein the amplitude weights are to minimize diffraction propagation losses introduced by one edge of the roof of the building; and perform at least one of: transmitting the radio frequency signal for transmission via at least the first radio frequency beamforming network and at least the first array; either receiving the radio frequency signal for reception via the at least the first set and at least the first radio frequency beamforming network. The method of claim 9, wherein the amplitude weights (220-226) and phase weights (230) of at least the first RF beamforming network are arranged to develop a steered beam and suppressed sidelobes. (140) over a range of angles in a far field of the phased array antenna array, where a beam pattern of the directional beam is suitable for cellular mobile communication networks. The method of claim 9, wherein the amplitude weights are arranged to provide allocation of at least 80% of the total RF power (220-222) to less than 50% of the antenna elements (210-222). 212) towards the upper end of the at least the first set.